By Luke Dodemaide

Picture this: Thomas the Tank Engine meets Toy Story set at an Australian golf club. If that sounds like something you would want to read to your children or grandchildren, then children’s author Tracey Munn has got a story for you. 

The Adventures of Gordon the Golf Cart is about to hit the stores, and with plans for an animated series, you could be about to see a lot more of this mischievous golf cart, who goes searching for lost balls, fun-loving playing partners, and everything in between.

And it all came about because Munn was at a loss for kids’ books on her favourite game. “I couldn’t find anything,” said Munn , who plays at New South Wales- Victoria border club Rich River.

“I went to check if someone had written something similar, but there were no children’s books I could find about golf.” 

The book comes complete with a “little glossary” of golf terms to help parents or grandparents connect with their children.

With the help of a childhood educator, Munn made sure there were real learnings, albeit kid-sized, as Gordon the Golf Cart makes his way around the holes. 

“We've got things sprinkled throughout, but at the end, I was actually inspired because my son had a little book called Bon Appetit Bertie,” says Munn.

“It was about a little family that went to Paris, I think. At the end, there was a glossary of all these French words.”

Other key characters include: the cheeky brush-living fox Micaela, the greenskeeper Shane and his young daughter Hollie, and golf coach Lachie.

All are based on real-world people you could meet at any golf club around Australia. In Munn’s case, Rich River, which is substituted in the story with the more magical “Sunny Downs”. 

“There’s a multifaceted purpose to the book: to not only help grandparents and parents bond with kids through the love of golf, but to also try to ensure that they get the next generation as passionate about golf as we are,” says Munn.

“Hopefully the kids will say, ‘Oh, I remember that from the book!’”

The book is illustrated by Hannah Wood, who has previously worked on best-selling titles like Christmas is Coming!: A festive first count book, 1000 Things To Eat and Robot Hide-And-Seek. Due in part to the bright tones and rainbow of colours you can find on a golf course, Wood’s drawings here are a delight. “The junior golfers of today are the adult golfers tomorrow, so I think golfing parents and grandparents want to keep investing in that younger generation so that they have that passion,” says Munn.

To pre-order your copy of The Adventures of Gordon the Golf Cart, email orders@gordonthegolfcart.com.au or visit https://gordonthegolfcart.com.au/product/pre-orders